


for when the world toys with you

by lixsunrise



Category: ITZY (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, except it's a detective school, hwang siblings, jisung and lia are cousins, multiple confusing pairings, skzitzy as detectives, so are minho and chaeryeong, they go to an academy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lixsunrise/pseuds/lixsunrise
Summary: I was content. My life was as perfect as I could've wanted it.I'm going to a good college, I'm pursuing the course I've always dreamt of doing ever since I was five, I also have a damn impressive social standing at university for a sophomore, to say the least.But at the times life treats you right, destiny always finds a way to ruin all of it.
Relationships: Choi Jisu | Lia/Hwang Yeji, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. prologue

I was content. My life was as perfect as I could've wanted it.

I'm going to a good college, I'm pursuing the course I've always dreamt of doing ever since I was five, I also have a damn impressive social standing at university for a sophomore, to say the least.

But at the times life treats you right, destiny always finds a way to ruin all of it.

"Han Jisung, please proceed into the podium to receive your reward!" A booming, female voice shouts over the loudspeakers, which hurt my ears. I decided to just proceed and get the "reward" I most certainly didn't want to receive, as I know the woman would start screaming again if I didn't walk over to the stage.

"Please give him a round of applause!" The woman calls out again loudly, to which the crowd responds with polite claps. "Once again, this is Han Jisung, the newest lottery draft winner to win a full-ride scholarship to The Academy!"

-

After managing to get away from the crowd, I immediately dialed my cousin Lia, hoping to find some peace of mind while talking to her.

"Hey," I started, "Have you heard the news?"

"What, you blew up another warehouse with your buddies from Music Theory?" Lia responds jokingly, to which I just sighed. "Okay, seriously, I haven't. I have been pretty busy with Strategy classes and all. So, what's up?"

I took a large breath. "I... _may_ have won a scholarship lottery to join the program."

Lia screamed. "Are you serious? I thought you didn't want to join? Did you change your mind? Did you miss Hyunjin, Yeji, and I so much that you decided to follow us here?"

"Calm down, Li," I said warningly. "My ears are about to burst. Firstly, no. I'm perfectly happy being a music major. Secondly, I didn't even join the lottery. Lastly, I didn't miss any of the three of you."

"Man, that's so harsh," Lia said, feigning hurt. "But are you sure you didn't join the lottery? Maybe your mom entered for you? Or your older brother?"

"If they did, I'm going to murder them," I said angrily. "Can't they see I'm happy with where I am right now? Why do I have to join this stupid academy—"

"Whoa whoa whoa, this is where we draw the line, Ji!" yells Lia warningly. "I can't go talking to people on the phone who talk shit about the school, calls are literally recorded and could affect my grades."

"I'm sorry about that," I replied apologetically. "Anyway, is there a way to forfeit the scholarship? Can we give it to anyone else who deserves it and probably wants it more than I do?"

Lia pauses for a moment before replying to me. "Hmm, about that...I don't think they allow forfeiting. But you can get on here for 3 weeks to join the trial and purposely fail the initiation tests so you can get back there unscathed."

"Initiation tests? What in hell are those?" I asked, intrigued.

"Trial examinations are enforced by high-ranking students to filter out undeserving scholars or enrollees," replied Lia. "Winning a scholarship or enrolling doesn't automatically guarantee you a spot here. The ones that are automatically safe are those personally scouted by the professors and are usually automatically part of the elite."

"Last question, when are those people who pick up new students arrive?"

"Tomorrow. Pack your bags, Ji. I'm going to give you a tour of the campus first thing after your arrival."


	2. Welcome to the Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung's first day at the academy is filled with familiar comrades, new prospective friends, and unanswered questions.

Jisung's hands were trembling violently as he unloads his luggage from the back of the chaperone's car. Overhead, he can see a polished, modern-looking building filled with clear glass panes where he can see people milling about their businesses. He couldn't believe it. He was at The Academy.

It wasn't exactly Jisung's biggest life dream, but he would be lying if he said he didn't once aspire to be part of the prestigious detective school. And now he's here, he could feel the tingles of nervousness creep up the back of his neck. He reached for his phone in his deep jeans pocket, waiting for his cousin Lia's reply to his last text. She promised to show him around and to his dorm, but as he checked, Lia hasn't even left him on read yet. She was probably busy finishing a task for a class, which Jisung totally understood, but it didn't relieve the feeling of being lost he was coping with as he stood in front of the entrance door, luggage in hand.

Jisung knew he had to ask for someone else's help. He couldn't just wait here for Lia until God knows when, right?

As he was psyching himself up to go ask a random student for help, someone else already beats him to it.

A male student (whom Jisung presumes to be around his age) arrived and looked at Jisung kindly. He had strikingly blonde hair and an intense jawline, but with a contrasting small button nose and sparkly eyes. Jisung didn't know anything about him, but he looked harmless enough, so he decided to stay put and hear the stranger out.

"Hi," the blonde said slowly, "You're Han Jisung. right?"

Jisung tried his best to hide his surprised expression. How did this guy know who he was? He wasn't an elite, or a potential one? Why would this stranger be interested in who he was?

The blonde stranger seemingly read the nervous look on Jisung's face because he immediately said afterward, "My superior Hwang Yeji told me that the Han Jisung boy looked like a quokka and was waiting at the entrance door. I assumed that was you. You are Han Jisung, right?"

"Yes, yes I am," replied Jisung, and his skepticism about the stranger faded away, knowing that a good friend of his sent for him to pick him up. "So, where are we going?"

"Straight to the dorms," replied the blonde in a straightforward manner. "Leave your luggage here, it will get sent to your dorm later after it gets checked by school customs."

As soon as the blonde guy finishes talking, he immediately bolts to the entrance door. He was so quick that Jisung had to run to catch up. _What a warm welcome_ , he thought to himself.

After three flights of stairs that left Jisung breathless, the blonde boy announced that he was already on his dormitory floor.

"We just have to go to the right-wing, and the door at the end is yours. Apparently, you're sharing your room with Yang Jeongin." said the blonde boy, reading off a piece of paper he pulled out from his pockets.

"Thanks a lot," said Jisung gratefully. "If it weren't for you I would've been stuck in the entrance door waiting for Lia like an idiot—"

"Don't thank me," replied the blonde simply. "Thank your friend Yeji. She seems to care about your well-being a lot."

The remark about Yeji made Jisung go red of embarrassment. Yeji? Caring? That didn't seem to go well together. Plus, by the tone on how the blonde stranger stated it, he was implying that he and Yeji were a thing, which they were not. He and Yeji were friends, and that's all that it was.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jisung calls out to the blonde, but he seems to not notice as he proceeds to leave quickly. A few moments later, a robot arrives to drop off Jisung's luggage, which was unfortunately removed of all the chocolate packs he tried to sneak in even though Lia already warned him they were not allowed.

As Jisung was slowly unpacking his clothes and transferring them to the free closet beside the empty bed, another series of knocks ensued from his front door. This time he was greeted by an unfamiliar boy who he assumes to be his roommate Jeongin.

"Hi," the boy started nervously, "You're Jisung, right? I'm Jeongin. I guess we're roommates?" He ends it with a nervous laugh, obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah, we are," said Jisung simply. "I took this free bed near the window, if that's okay? We could switch if you want to."

"Oh no, no, that's fine, I don't mind," replied Jeongin nervously. "I think I'm barely even going to be in the room if I'm gonna be honest."

That remark stirred up curiosity within Jisung. What was the reason for Jeongin to say that? He knew he didn’t have the right to ask, as they had just met, but he definitely had to keep that question in mind until they get comfortable with each other enough to open up.

"Do you know anyone in this school?" Jeongin asks silently while sitting in the other bed. "If you do, I could take you to them to the cafeteria later, it's almost lunch break anyway. If not, then, we can get lunch together."

Jisung pauses for a moment and checks his phone before replying to Jeongin. Sure enough, a text from Lia saying "Meet us at the cafeteria for lunch" was the first thing he saw.

"Well uh, my cousin Lia goes here, and I'm also friends with Hyunjin and Yeji."

Jeongin's eyebrows furrowed. "How are you friends with Yeji? As far as I know about her, she doesn't just befriend anyone. She usually just hangs out with her team."

"Yeji and I go way back," replied Jisung. "We're childhood friends."

"Oh, if that's the case then, let's go," said Jeongin simply.

"You can eat lunch with us!" Jisung offered, but Jeongin frowned.

"Thank you, but no," said Jeongin. "I could eat alone anyway."

An awkward silence ensues as Jisung and Jeongin made their way to the packed cafeteria. Jisung cranes his neck to look for Lia's familiar face, but Jeongin was the taller of the two and managed to spot Jisung's comrades easily. He calls out to Jisung to start following him, and in a few moments, Jisung finds himself at a table where an unfamiliar guy and Yeji were seated.

"Well," Jeongin says deliberately, "I'll be off then. See you later, Jisung."

Jeongin immediately leaves, which the two people seated at the table clearly paid no mind. So was Jeongin usually like this and that he only had to get used to it?

Yeji suddenly stands up and pulls Jisung into a hug. He was startled at first but easily returns the hug after he gets over his initial shock. He notices the guy seated on the opposite side ever so slightly roll his eyes at the gesture.

"What's with the sudden hug?" Jisung asks Yeji after she pulls away and sits back down again. "You could've just said hi? So many people are in this cafeteria."

"Yeah I know, but I guess I really missed you, so I had to do that," Yeji answered simply, which caused his heart to do the tango. "Where's Lia, by the way, have you seen her?"

"No, not yet," replied Jisung. "She's probably still stuck in her last class."

Yeji's face turns worried. "Yeah, the Strategy professor is really uptight and Lia's been working extra hard to remain being at the top of her class. She's aiming to enter the newly formed rookie team, so she needs really good grades for that."

Yeji takes her coffee from the table and sips on it slowly. The unfamiliar guy looked even more annoyed now, which Yeji now obviously notices as she puts down her coffee cup and says, "Jisung, this is Seungmin, by the way. He's my team's Strategist."

The guy named Seungmin held out a hand to Jisung. "So you're the infamous Han Jisung, huh?"

Jisung lets out a nervous laugh as he takes Seungmin's hand and shakes it. "Yeah."

"Are you and Yeji dating?"

Jisung was flabbergasted by the sudden question, but Yeji looked unfazed. "No, we aren't, Seungmin. He's one of my closest friends, and I haven't seen him personally in years. Besides, he has a crush on my bro—"

"This is when you shut your mouth, Yeji," said Jisung playfully, covering Yeji's mouth. Seungmin visibly relaxes over the revelation, which sparked another question in Jisung's reverie. Does Seungmin like Yeji, so he reacted to their hug like that? Jisung also remembers the blonde guy who was apparently under Yeji that helped him with finding his dorm room, and how he reacted similarly to how Seungmin did. What was going on?

After Jisung gets his and Lia's lunch from the serving tables, he returns to Seungmin and Yeji, who was now joined by Lia and the blonde guy who helped Jisung earlier.

"Hey, Lia! I got you your lunch!" said Jisung, while Lia smiled at him gratefully. He sits back down and takes a bite out of his pizza before asking, "Yeji, who's this? I know you sent him to help me, but when I attempted to ask his name, he ran off."

Yeji giggles. "I asked him to do that. He isn't usually like that, but I wanted to play a prank on you. He's Felix, by the way. He's the team Weaponsmaster."

Felix smiles and shakes Jisung's hand. "Sorry about earlier."

"Oh, no, it's totally fine!" reassured Jisung. "Yeji's the one who started it, anyway."

As the table rings with laughter, Lia suddenly asks, "Where's Hyunjin, by the way?"

Yeji sighs. "I don't know, unfortunately. He's been very weird this couple of weeks. I found out he was throwing out the custom peach pies our mom sends us every week and he's been staying at the training area almost every day. I think he's being too hard on himself."

"He is the rookie team leader, and he's doing an effort to better himself because drafts are soon, and he could get replaced," said Seungmin. "If it comforts you, I heard Yuna screamed at him once because he fainted during their practice because of lack of sleep, so he learned his lesson and he still sleeps well."

"Who's Yuna?" asked Jisung, making a mental note to thank her personally in the future.

"Hyunjin's teammate and weaponsmaster," replied Lia. "She's my friend too, and she's really nice! You should meet her in the future!"

"I'm down," said Jisung. "I have another question. When are my initiation classes starting?"

"Next week Monday," replied Seungmin. "As far as I remember from the meeting, the first team to administer tests would be Team 3."

Yeji then looks at Seungmin incredulously, with a knowing look in her eyes. Seungmin gave her a glare in reply, to which Yeji's only response was to mutter a silent apology.

Whatever they were on, Jisung didn't understand, but he decided to not press onto the matter further and finish his lunch in peace.

He still hadn't told Yeji about the circumstances surrounding his admission. He didn't tell Yeji either that he was planning on flunking the initiation test so he could leave and just peacefully continue his music studies. He knew Yeji would be upset at the news of him leaving, but also knows she would understand that Jisung preferred how life was going for him before his accidental admission.

After lunch, Lia decided to pull him away from the table and hid in a corner away from their earshot. "Have you told Yeji you don't plan on staying? She looks so happy that you're here too, you know how she'll react if you just suddenly left."

Jisung sighed. "I will be telling her as soon as I get the courage to. For now, though...which spot in this school is best for stargazing?"


	3. Reconnection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung and Hyunjin enjoy an impromptu picnic under the stars. Jisung accidentally overhears an argument which is the key to knowing about his roommate's hidden secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm still not sure how frequent (or infrequent LOL) updates might be, since I have school and all, but I'll definitely try to update as often as possible! Comments and kudos will be appreciated! Thank you and love lots! <333

The pressure of being perfect has officially taken its toll on Hyunjin's mental stability. At first, the prospect of being a team leader was incredibly desirable to him, as it meant obtaining a position of power and influence that could help him achieve his goals in life. He wouldn't admit it directly, but he felt dwarfed by his successful sister Yeji, who was already leading an elite team and wanted to be the same or be even better than her. 

His ambition, however, caused him to lose much track of maintaining self-care and protecting his health more than anything. He had heard tireless scolding from his only teammate Yuna, saying how he's skipped countless meals and pushed himself to the limit in and out of official training. He, of course, is incredibly grateful to Yuna's reminders, but it didn't help that he really felt the need to be perfect.

Hyunjin's first few months in the academy were filled with nothing but expectations. The professors and the rest of the student body knew about his and Yeji's familial relationship and expected the same amount of talent from Hyunjin as what Yeji had showcased to them in her training years. He managed to keep up for quite an amount of time as he was talented, but he never felt like it was enough, despite being the best student in his year. It motivated him to keep working and steadily improving himself, a premise that normally wouldn't be faulty, but in Hyunjin's case, is.

Jisung learned from Lia that Hyunjin usually hangs out on the school rooftop when he's stressed and needs temporary relief. It didn't surprise Jisung—even before, no matter how uptight Hyunjin is, he never denied himself the luxury to breathe and take in the stars on a wide, free area. Often, Jisung accompanies him, and they both stared at the night sky, relishing the sight of the stars.

It was in one of these late-night stargazing sessions that Jisung finally admits his feelings for Hyunjin within himself. He was having a hard time due to his parents' divorce, along with school requirements he had to comply with. He felt like he was being pulled into a black hole with no sign of light, and no chance of escape. But through Hyunjin, he felt a resurgence, a strong feeling that caused him to think that he had to hold on for the better days. Hyunjin's existence was a safe place for him, and he will always be grateful for that.

And now, knowing that Hyunjin was in his own dark place as well, Jisung knew he had to return the favor. 

Jisung reached the school rooftop in a span of five minutes, and sure enough, he spots Hyunjin standing from a few feet away, breathing deeply while looking at the stars above. He had a small, content smile on his face, though his eyes were glimmering with unshed tears. Jisung slowly approaches him from the back and gives him a soft tap on his right shoulder.

Hyunjin turns to face the unknown person who snapped him out of his reverie. His small smile widened as he saw his friend Jisung facing him, wearing a long padded coat while carrying a basket in his left hand. 

"I was wondering where you usually hung out at this place," started Jisung, and he relieved himself of the basket he was holding by placing it daintily in the floor. "As usual, I'll find you gazing at stars."

Hyunjin giggles. "It's been a longtime habit. What do you have there on the basket?"

"A picnic blanket, and food, of course," replied Jisung, opening the said basket to retrieve the picnic blanket and laid it carefully for he and Hyunjin to sit on. "Figured we could have a picnic here."

Hyunjin sits down silently as Jisung unloaded from the basket a plate of peach pie, two bottles of iced latte, and a plate of blueberry cheesecake. 

"I grabbed all these from the school café," said Jisung hurriedly. "This doesn't look like picnic food at all to me, maybe I should've ran to a grocery store to—"

"This is perfect, Jisung," said Hyunjin quietly. "Having you here with me is more than enough."

_Why is he talking like this_ , Jisung asks himself. A small part of him hoped that Hyunjin at least partly returned his romantic feelings for him, but an even bigger part of him held self-restraint; he didn't want to ruin the close friendship he already has with Hyunjin and make it awkward between the two of them.

"Oh, okay, well, uh, shall we dig in?" Jisung managed to sputter as he handed Hyunjin a fork. Hyunjin held an eyebrow up questioningly, but didn't press on the matter further. The two sat for a few moments in silence, relishing the sweet taste of their pastries while taking in the cool, fresh air. 

"Are you staying for good?" asked Hyunjin, which confirmed Jisung's suspicion that Hyunjin didn't read his other texts aside from the one saying he got admitted into the academy. He sighed, and begun explaining. 

"No, I won't. I'm having the time of my life at my university, and I'm doing well there, too. I'm planning on flunking the initiation tests, that's the only way I can get out, according to Lia."

Hyunjin nods in understanding, and his smile became sad. 

"I was hoping you'd stay."

Jisung's heart did a somersault, and he tried his very best to conceal his now tomato-red face from Hyunjin's eyesight. He had only barely moved on about Hyunjin telling him earlier that his presence was more than enough, and now he's saying he wants him to stay? This caused an internal conflict within Jisung. Does he want to go back to being at university, pursuing his dream to be a music producer, or does he stay at the academy, knowing that there might be a small chance of Hyunjin returning the feelings he's had for him for years?

"Well, we'll just have to see, shall we?" said Jisung while laughing nervously. "Who knows I might like it here."

  
Hyunjin once again smiles. "Thanks for looking for me. I really needed this."

"Don't worry about it," replied Jisung. "I'm just returning the favor. What are friends for, after all?"

"Yeah," said Hyunjin, looking up at the stars, the sad smile on his face returning, which Jisung doesn't notice. "Friends."

-

The next day, Jisung's peaceful sleep was put to an end as he heard three people having a heated argument in his dorm's living room. He recognized one of the voices to be his roommate, Jeongin's, but the other two voices: one of a man and one of a woman were very unfamiliar. 

"What have you been up to lately, Jeongin?" the unfamiliar man's voice rang throughout the house, and Jisung notices that he has an accent of some sort, but he couldn't pinpoint which. "You've been missing training! What if one of those absences end with not only you, but all three of us in danger?"

"Calm down, Chan," the woman replies with a soothing, deep-ish voice. "We can deal with this peacefully, you know—I'm sure Jeongin has his reasons—"

"I sure have!" Jeongin shouts. "Are you forgetting that my dad is the dean of the academy and I'm supposed to act like his personal bodyguard?"

"Is that excuse supposed to be believable?" The man who Jisung assumes to be called Chan replied angrily. "The reason he took you in was that you insisted to! It's as if you aren't already committed to the top team in the academy—"

"I'm doing this for an investigation, okay? I know I can get the information I need if I kept following my dad around—"

"Your investigation is nothing but a conspiracy theory, Jeongin," the girl suddenly speaks out in a calm manner. "I have to agree with Chan in this one, you have to learn how to sort out your priorities."

"And then you wonder why Kim Seungmin ranked higher than you," muttered Chan, which caused Jeongin to throw a vase, that shattered very loudly, which caused Jisung to flinch. 

"Get out," said Jeongin dangerously. "Get the fuck out!"

He heard footsteps leave in a hurry, and then a very loud door slam followed. Jisung heard Jeongin heave out a sigh, and then silence ensued.

Jisung waits for three more minutes before he gets out of their room and pretends to not have heard anything. He puts on his best dazed look, and heads to the kitchen to prepare himself a sandwich. As he was about to spread butter onto a knife, Jeongin says, "I made omelets. They're in a spare container near the microwave."

"Thanks," muttered Jisung, though he still continued buttering his sandwich. After hearing the argument, he was immediately skeptical of Jeongin. If he acted secretive around his friends, what more could he be hiding from a mere stranger like Jisung? He had been a victim of being too trusty and naive, and he knew he had to be more careful.

"Why aren't you eating the omelet?" asked Jeongin to Jisung, who was now heading back to the room to dress for school. 

"I have a really early class," lied Jisung, not looking at Jeongin directly. "And I'm also on a diet."

"Oh, you should've told me next time, I can adjust the breakfast food accordingly," said Jeongin plainly. "I think you should get going."

Jisung blanked. "Oh—oh yeah, right." He immediately pulls out a yellow flannel shirt and jeans, then heads to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He leaves in five minutes, while he sees Jeongin cleaning the vase he broke in the corner. 

He felt bad about neglecting Jeongin's efforts with being a good roommate, but Jisung had a really strong feeling of skepticism surrounding him. He has to yet make sure what Jeongin's real intentions of being nice to him were, and he knew it would be detrimental to him if he started trusting Jeongin so soon. 

Jisung checks his phone for his schedule (as he hasn't memorized it yet) and sees a text message from an unknown number. It read:

From: **Unknown Number**

Mr. Han Jisung, please head to the conference hall in Building A. Details about the initiation tests will be revealed in a one-hour meeting. Classes will resume properly for takers after lunch. We look forward to seeing you on-site!

This was something he wasn't really looking forward to. Jisung still is on the crosswords of either opting to stay and be with Hyunjin, or going back to university and his good, predictable life before. He knew making this decision mattered a lot on how his life unfolds from now on, and he was especially nervous either way. Jisung hopes the meeting would give him a bit of enlightenment about what really will be happening during initiation tests, to at least give him a sense of what should be his best course of action.

He arrives at the conference hall, which was packed with 50 or so new students from the most recent drafts. At the very front of the hall, Jisung sees Seungmin, who was busy typing something on his laptop, along with an unfamiliar girl with long black hair and large, doll-like eyes. The girl takes a microphone and says, "The meeting will start in five minutes. Please settle down as soon as possible."

Jisung finds an empty seat in the third row, and settles down to take a look at his surroundings. He failed to notice the big banner hung up at the front earlier, reading "INITIATION TEST ORIENTATION AND Q&A" at the top in big, bold letters. He looks at the lower half of the banner to see "Hosted by Kim Seungmin and Shin Yuna" in smaller, less prominent font, and assumes the girl who spoke earlier was Yuna. 

In three minutes, the crowd in the conference hall officially falls into silence. Seungmin then stands up and joins Yuna on the stage, clears his throat, and starts speaking. 

"We're only given an hour to explain everything, so we'll try to be as succinct as possible. All of you here have been drafted from the randomized lottery, or enrolled on your own accord. This means, frankly _—_ a good half of everyone here might not be up to the standards the Academy has set for years. So the higher-ups decided to put all these students in an 'initiation test', aside from their regular taught classes," started Seungmin, with an intimidating air surrounding his presence.

"You might ask, why is the program drafting randomly when they're going to still end up being nitpicky? The answer is simple. The school founder believes that talent can be found anywhere, and that's why the school has various ways of drafting plausible students. However, the people who get in through a scholarship or personal scouting is exempt to this competition, as their talent has already been personally verified by the top council."

"With all that being said, I think it's time to inform everyone about how the tests would work," said Yuna. "Firstly, the test is going to last for three weeks, divided into three stages, with challenges hosted by the top 3 elite teams of the program." 

"The first preliminary round, to be held next week Monday, is called ' _The Appointation_ ', and that is where all of you gets sorted into the position you best fit in," Seungmin says, while a presentation detailing the three positions flashed at the front, which—unfortunately—Jisung couldn't see, as he had forgotten to wear his contact lenses. _He's just gonna ask Lia for help about this._

"The first challenge will be held on Friday the same week, by Team 3," continued Seungmin, and Jisung notices his mouth twitch barely while saying it. "Please arrive at the venue, which will be texted to you sometime soon, as early as possible."

"Also, lastly," added Yuna, "there is a special opportunity for one person in this room. I'm part of the lineup for the 4th elite team, along with Hwang Hyunjin, and if someone here shows exemplary talent, they may be immediately drafted into the team. That's a good opportunity, and I do hope someone here gets it."

"Well, that's it for the information part of this meeting, then," said Seungmin calmly. "The floor is now open for questions you might be clamoring to ask. We'll try to answer all of it as much as possible."

Someone from the crowd raises a hand. "Who are the members of Team Three, and can you give a hint on how they grade takers usually?"

_That's a good question_ , Jisung says to himself as he sees Seungmin ever so slightly frown as he listened to the question. This wasn't the first time Jisung sees Seungmin act particularly weirdly over the mention of Team Three, and his curiosity only grew as Seungmin let out a deep sigh before answering the question. 

"Team Three is composed of Lee Minho, Lee Chaeryeong, and Seo Changbin," said Seungmin coldly. "They're known as the Spades team, and they usually assist Team One with raids. They're pretty solid in testing the foundation and background of a person, so I think the best strategy is to show them proper foreground and utilize all the prior skills you have to impress them, especially Minho."

Another person raises their hand. "Do they exactly have preferences with skills or whatever? What exactly does it take to impress them?"

"I can't speak for all of them aside for Lee Minho," said Seungmin plainly. "They were once a Strategist, one of the best there is in the program until they became a Leader. They appreciate a strong foreground on mental wit and sharpness, and the ability to synthesize information easily and make a plan. If you are a prospective Strategist, impressing them is your best bet." 

Jisung noticed a slight fondness over Seungmin's tone as he was talking about Minho. Something easily dismissable, but still very much evident; Jisung thought there really was something that's hidden beneath the surface of Seungmin's steely facade and he was curious about what it was, and what Minho had to do with it. 

The rest of the Q&A session passed by like a blur as Jisung took in more information than what he can soak in at one go. After the dismissal, Jisung heads to the cafeteria to eat lunch with Hyunjin, who texts him to meet up. He approaches a free table where Hyunjin sat expectantly, with two plates full of food set in front of him. 

"Hi," greeted Jisung. "Nice of you to get me lunch food."

Hyunjin gives Jisung a warm smile and it required Jisung's entire brainpower to keep his cool. He sat down in the opposite seat and pulls his plate towards him to feast on it. 

"How was the meeting? Did Seungmin and Yuna scare you all to death or something?" asked Hyunjin curiously while slicing a bit of his steak. 

"Not really, they were fine," replied Jisung. "I learned a lot, though. Except for the team positions because the information was put on a presentation and I forgot to wear my contacts."

"Dumbass," teased Hyunjin. "What else happened?"

Jisung drops his voice to a whisper. "Seungmin was acting pretty weird when he mentioned Team Three."

"I'm not surprised, to say the least," said Hyunjin silently. "He used to date Lee Minho. They were a power couple of some sort, then all of a sudden they broke up, and Seungmin bragged about the fact that it was a 'mature and mutual decision' when he's obviously still angry and pretends to act civil toward Minho, and they do the same as well."

"So basically, they're pretending to be okay even if they're not okay?" said Jisung, and Hyunjin nods in response. "Yeesh."

"The worst and most stupid thing Seungmin did as a response to that was looking for a rebound," said Hyunjin. Jisung's eyes widened, and he covers Hyunjin's mouth in response.

"Whoa, stop. I don't want to intrude over Seungmin's current love life state, we're not even friends," said Jisung. "Why do you know all this, anyway?"

"Well, you see," started Hyunjin. "I think I _kinda_ like Kim Seungmin."

Jisung's heart crashed the same way as an accident in a speeding highway could—how could he have been so foolish, to think that Hyunjin could have feelings for him too when he's obviously in a place where people better than him existed? Seungmin was _obviously_ Hyunjin's type, and he had to slap his face for a moment as he hadn't realized it immediately. Seungmin was very attractive too, in his standpoint—a pretty guy with a cynical personality paired with warm looks and smarts—it was obvious Hyunjin would fall for him, instead of Jisung, a mere aspiring producer with no special skills and talents.

It didn't change the fact that it hurt, and yet, the most stupid thing was, Jisung still wanted to hold on.


End file.
